whispering bells, Emmenanthe penduliflora var. penduliflora, California, White Mountains, Coldwater Canyon, Chalfant Valley - Owens Valley drainage, elevation 1650 m (5415 ft).

This always takes me by surprise in the desert, especially this far north, where it is near its northern limit. This is typically a species of fire-adapted chaparral vegetation in western California, and of interior chaparral in central Arizona and some intervening desert mountain ranges, below about 2200 meters (7200 feet) elevation. But here in the White Mountains it is found on rocky calcareous soils and scree in sparse vegetation that rarely if ever experiences fire. Here it just pops up in wet years, burn or (usually) no burn. Maybe the hot shifting rock helps to mimic fire disturbance?